Relaxing on the golf course is only one attraction of the inaugural Golf and Wine Academy, which will be held October 16 through 19 in California's Livermore Valley, a 45-minute drive from San Francisco.

With jet-A fuel costs reaching record highs, business aircraft owners and their flight departments are feeling a big pinch in their budgets. The good news is that they are receiving some relief from an unlikely source-aircraft-insurance companies. The aviation-insurance industry equivalent of a heavyweight title fight is in full swing, and the big winner is the aircraft owner.

Customer expectations are the driving force in any aircraft interior design, and it seems the bigger the airplane, the greater the expectations. And there's no shortage of designers who can think as big as necessary.

To determine the best fractional investment, the first thing you have to do is consider your travel profile--including where you fly, how long your trips are, how many passengers you carry, how much luggage you take, what aircraft you prefer and, of course, how much you are willing to spend. Analyzing this information, you can often come up with a single, best solution.

Before booking my first charter flight in 2001, I visited industry Web sites, drove to the airport to sit in some airplanes, got advice from a reputable broker and read through a pile of operators' brochures and guides. I felt as well prepared as any new customer could be.

When a company buys jet fuel for a business flight, the fuel will be consumed immediately. So the cost is tax deductible as an ordinary expense in the current period. Most expenses of owning and operating a business jet are like that-they can be deducted currently and thus offset taxes on current business income.

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Quote/Unquote

“"Many years ago, our company founder, Al Conklin, sold a new twin-engine business aircraft to a very successful entrepreneur. He had established a bit of a rapport with the individual and, after the sale, asked him straight out, 'How can you justify the cost of this airplane?' His reply? 'What is the cost of a divorce?'"–David Wyndham, president, Conklin & de Decker”